Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1887-10-21

50 very young-whilc they are withheld
from men as I'D and as eager to acquire
them as my husbandy'
"What is my age, Lady Augusta"
~ suppose about three and twenty"
81 do not pretend to be the Wandering
jew. But ! will tell you i.strangc thing.
1t happened the other day, only few
months ago. Perhap, you will not believe
it,
81 will believe it if you tell me that it is
true
He raised his voice a little. Then there
was silence at the table and all listened.
at was in Abyssnia. Some natives
were digging for the treasure which is
everywhere believed to be hidden under.
ground. They found instead of treasure,
great stone vault, into which they broke
All opening, for it had neither door nor
window Around it the earth lay apparent
ly undisturbed for ages, and above it grew
a tree hundreds of years old. They found
within the vault not indeed the treasure
they looked for but an old man. He was
thin and worn-say rather wasted; his
beard was white and his head was bald.
How had he lived in that stone vault? How
long had he been there? | repeat there
was neither door nor window, no means of
getting fresh air, no visible means of com
municating with the world, no way of pas
sing food into the vault. And the roots of
the tree. hundreds of years old, were lying
over and around the vault We, who know
more than the world generally knows, i'm
mcdotcly recognized in that old man IA fa-
nous philosopher once celebrated by his
disciples, long, long since lost sight of, and
forgotten many, many generations ago
and all these years. with animation sus-
pended, he had been mcdtating in the
highest rapture-that state which few in
deed can possibly attain
"Wel: Finish the story" said Lady
Augusta
They brought him o 1t into the open air,
and as he breathed again he opened his eyes
and looked around him. Then a wonderful
change came over him. For his wrinkled
skin filled out, and his flesh came back to his
bones, and his eyes became bright, and his
hair became black. He was once more a
young man. strong and comey."
"Oh!' they all murmured together But
Mr.. Emanuel Chick drank off whole glass
of champagne, and preten led not to listen.
And Tom glinned.
"Then he looked about him and saw the
city close by, and the shepherds with theil
flocks. And suddenly he vanished and wa,
no more seen. =
"That young man-it was yourself, Herr
Paulus.n
''No, Lady Augusta" he replied. sadly
II wish it had been. For that young MAJ
has now attained the,highest felicity possible
for man. tell you the story that you ma,
understand that among my Friends there +
no such thing as age or youth or death un
less it be wiled and chosen. In othe
| i Erinp1s al
young; and if they please they may look
old. -
This was n strange kind of talk to heal
in a London house at London dinner. Blu
then this was no ordinary house.
"Oh.' Lady Augusta heaved a profoun,
sigh about the twentieth at that dinner
II had always longed but never ventured t,
expect that one of the wise meu of whom w
have read would actually come to my
house -
There are Englishmen among us, Her
Paulus added. Not many, but few, VIII,
break away from the shallow creeds of thu
present, a1d seek 10 conquer for themselve
the powers and the secrets of the past. Blu
they refuse to leave the place where the,
reside, even TO preach among their owl
countrymen. Therefore | am sent"
"No better ambassador could be sent,
said Lady Augusta graciously. =
On the other side of Herr Paulus sat Lad,
Augustus old friend, Mrs. Tracy Hanley
She had been privileged to read some OF
Sister Anna Petrovna's letters She wa
thinking all the time that if the young MAJ
talked in this beautiful and bewlderins
way, what an effect he would produce a
her Sunday evenings, especially if h
would do things. This was a selfis
view to take of the Highest Philosophy au'
the Ancient Wisdom, but ladies who hav
Sunday Evenings are often inclined t
that form of selfishness. She looked IA
him and listened The longer She lookeC
the more she was impressed wholly-fron
3 the Sunday evening point of Vicw-wtl
the strange beauty OF his face and his love
" dark eyes The more she listened til
more she fell in love--always from the Sun
day evening point of view-with his sof
and musical voice. If he would only "do'
. things. ut this lOuse, Whei e manifestation
of all kinds We're common what ever h
] might do would be received in a col ill
, critical spirit, like the iugglery of a con
, juror among his professional brethren
: But at hers, where nothing better than tn
| common medium of commerce had eve
, been introduced, he would be received wit
l ''Nils5 III Nlti tlllHc y NbullS man, lily
/ teriousy named and of unknown origin
a young man who might be of fabulou
t age; IA young man romantic in appearance
5 possessed Of good manners and endowerc
0 with miraculous powers; a vcritable prophC
of Old but in evening dress, not a sheer
' skin; youth sent from the Lord know
. where by the Lord knows who to preach
new and mysterious doctrne-but it all dc
| pended on what he could "do.n Why, sue
' a man as this, if he could really do thing,
e would make her Sunday evenings ceebrat
@ ed, He would cause them to become tn
( talk of the town. 1t would be a privleg
L to have the entree at those Sunday evening,
The world would rush to her rooms TIL
pleasing vision fioated through her brai
Y while the young man talked. Why shout
it not be realized?
e She began to recall all the successiv
r prophets and lions who had passed throug
, her house in the last ten years. There wa
| the BaboO for instance, clever and fluent
= who had come over TO England all the wa
from Bengal on purpose to teach us Theisti
doctrines, which we knew before. He coul